NFL Quarterback Rankings: Who has the best starting QB at the halfway point of the NFL season?

10. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Previous Rank: 15

Maybe this is once again recency bias, but C.J. Stroud has been awesome this year (loss to the Panthers aside). He just broke the rookie single-game passing record, throwing for 470 yards and five touchdowns in a miraculous win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. He has one interception this season. One! And 14 touchdowns! This is such an amazing performance. You know who else has one interception this season? Jameis Winston, Mike White, and fellow rookie Will Levis. They have all barely played. Stroud has easily been a top-10 quarterback this season and might realistically push the Texans into the playoffs.

9. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Previous Rank: 8

This one was incredibly hard to peg. Brock Purdy hit a rough spot prior to the bye week. The 49ers went from one of the best teams in the league to losing the division lead to the Seahawks (which they since got back by being off). Purdy's struggles were at the top of the list of factors. Still, Purdy leads the league in QBR. He's had a week to work through his issues, and we're confident in Kyle Shanahan's ability to get that star back we saw in the first month of the season.

8. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Previous Rank: 7

Trevor Lawrence fell slightly in the rankings, but it really isn't his fault. He's been good the past few weeks, and he has the Jaguars sitting at a surprising 6-2. He's tied for eighth in completion percentage, but we hope he stops going for the safe throws. His 7.1 yards per attempt is tied for 15th in the league. Now that Christian Kirk worked through his early-season slump, and Calvin Ridley found a role, we hope he drives the ball down the field now.

7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Previous Rank: 5

Justin Herbert fell out of the top five. He's coming off a very strange game on Monday Night Football against the Jets. He didn't need to do much, but the 136 passing yards and just over 50 percent completion percentage jump off the page. His struggles might be due to his injured middle finger. We'll see if it gets better as the season continues, but he still has an uphill battle to get the Chargers into the playoffs.

6. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Previous Rank: 4

Tua Tagovailoa also falls out of the top five. Defenses have figured out the Miami Dolphins offense over the last few weeks. They still lead the league in points per game, but if you take out their 70-point outburst against the Broncos, they are fifth with 26.8 points per game. Plus, the Bills and Ravens are right there. Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill are still the best connection in the league, but he's struggling to get the same chemistry with any other pass catcher, including Jaylen Waddle.